Worcester County News In Brief

SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners discussed a variety of business at their March 17 meeting. The following is a review of sorts.

The free prescription card program begun last year through the National Association of Counties has been a success, said Marty Pusey, Director of Prevention for the Worcester County Health Department.

“Fortunately, our pharmacies have been very supportive of this program. All our pharmacies in Worcester County participate in it,” Pusey said.

When the program began, organizers estimated that card users would see savings from 14 to 32 percent on prescriptions.

“We’ve averaged a savings of around 25 percent by our citizens,” said Pusey.

Over 9,000 people in Worcester County have used the cards in the last 12 months, for over 20,000 prescriptions.

“Worcester County residents have saved over $311,000,” Pusey said. “It’s been a very, very successful program.”

Reportedly, one man described by Pusey cut his prescription costs from $1,200 to $400 a year with the card.

The free prescription cards, which do not require any sign up, were designed for people without prescription insurance. Cards can be obtained at pharmacies and government offices.

“You’ve really gotten the word out and followed up and we appreciate it,” said Commissioner Judy Boggs.

Work on the design of a sewer connection between Showell Elementary School’s wastewater system and the Ocean Pines wastewater system has been awarded to George, Miles and Buhr engineers for $51,000.

The design work award does not guarantee funding for construction of the project.

Public Works Director John Tustin said he would bring in the design when completed to determine if and when the commissioners could fund the work.

A contest among Worcester County staffers to suggest ways to cut costs and increase efficiency yielded 167 entries. The three top entries received prizes Tuesday for their suggestions.

The county’s Efficiency Committee, established in January, assessed the entries in the SAVE (Suggestions for Achieving Valuable Efficiency) contest.

Kathy Whited, budget officer, was awarded a $100 Visa gift card for the first-place suggestion to consolidate county cell phone plans under a corporate account instead of individual accounts.

Patrick Pruitt of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office took second place, receiving a $75 Visa gift card, for his idea to offer buy-outs for early retirement,

Third place went to Katherine Munson, who received a $50 Visa gift card, for her suggestion to buy paper and other office goods in bulk for the entire county, instead of individual departments purchasing those items.

“I have never been prouder of our staff,” said County Commissioner Judy Boggs.

A local woman has offered to donate an agricultural easement on 135 acres, 68 of which are cropland, on Nassawango Rd.

This would be the first donated agricultural conservation easement in Worcester County and only the second in the state.

Irma Lee Henshall has offered to donate the easement, extinguishing development rights on the property, to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation. She has also asked that part of the easement contract prohibit chicken raising on the property in perpetuity.

Featured Stories

SALISBURY – The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore raised more than $88,000 during its second annual “Shore Gives More” campaign. The foundation’s online campaign allowed individuals to find charities from Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties and give them the opportunity to donate on one site. “The Community Foundation serves a diverse audience of organizations,”… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — New regulations prohibiting bow-riding on vessels could be in place as soon as next spring after a productive meeting last week between the area’s representatives in Annapolis and state boating officials. In the wake of several serious boating accidents in the resort last summer, including a fatal propeller strike that claimed the… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Roughly nine miles off the coast of Ocean City, a quiet memorial and final resting place of a beloved long-time resort local, who passed a year ago this month, is now symbolically teeming with life as part of growing artificial reef site. Tony Meredith, known reverently and affectionately as “Uncle Tony” by… Read more »

OCEAN CITY — Calling a potential designation of the offshore Baltimore Canyon as the nation’s first Urban National Marine Sanctuary potentially “devastating” to the multi-million dollar fishing industry, resort officials this week agreed to send a letter of opposition to state and federal representatives. In October, National Aquarium officials announced they were seeking an Urban… Read more »